Welcome to the IMA Energy & Environment Blog. The blog format reflects our efforts to provide IMA members with timely, relevant and thought provoking information in a form that is accessible for easy reference. IMA’s Energy & Environment Blog will be updated on a regular basis. Weekly news update emails will be sent out to notify subscribers of new information posted on the blog. IMA members are welcome to submit material for the blog, or request specific information. Simply email Editor Stefany Henson at shenson@ima-net.org with your information or request. Editorial submissions are subject to review.

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At the start, there was no generic name. The simple glass of the car windshield started to incorporate printed antennas and heaters. It was what we now know as “structural electronics” - one structure performing mechanical, electrical and other functions. The dumb material is no longer needed.

Fast forward to 2015 and the world’s first car with the load-bearing structure and body being integrally 3D printed is the Strati. It has been developed by U.S. start up Local Motors. In 2014, the company undertook a challenge to build a 3D car live on the Internet. In late 2015, the first street legal versions are expected to be delivered to customers.

Obama Administration Pulls $1B in Funding from FutureGen— The embattled FutureGen facility received a final blow last week when the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it was pulling $1B in federal funding, citing a lack of time for construction. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Governor Rauner issued statements against the DOE decision. An appeal is currently pending before the Illinois Supreme Court regarding a 2012 Order from the ICC requiring ComEd and Ameren to enter sourcing agreements with FutureGen for both utility supply customers and retail supply customers. The Order stipulated that the costs of the sourcing agreements flow through a non-bypassable charge. On appeal, the Illinois Appellate Court affirmed the ICC’s Order. As a result of the DOE’s decision to end funding, the future status of the Supreme Court appeal is uncertain.

The Keystone XL pipeline bill is heading to the president’s desk for his signature — or his veto. Doug Hochberg and Sang Kim of the American Action Forum have broken down the numbers on the Keystone delay. The result? Higher carbon dioxide emissions and fewer jobs.
According to Hochberg and Kim:
Americans have been waiting for 2,338 days for approval of the pipeline.

Sometimes I reminisce back to the day and age in which we communicated with customers via the telephone or in person. This was a glorious time where customers actually answered the phone or called us (gasp!) to share their opinions. It was a golden age for customer loyalty.

Today, however, we are forced to engage very differently.

The world is faster, engaged, connected and overwhelmingly educated. The question “do you have a quick minute?” has been replaced with “do you have a quick second?”

So, how do I get my point across quickly without wasting my customer’s time? Here are a few realizations that have helped me pave the way towards improving my loyalty numbers while closing the loop: